


A Sudden Sense of Liberty

by itsfio



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Gen, also the title is from uhh true faith from new order, also this is PLATONIC so dont be weird or ill gut you, mentions of injuries n shit but not really detailed, uhh an underage character goes to a bar but she doesnt drink like shes just chillin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24568276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsfio/pseuds/itsfio
Summary: Six gets injured in the middle of nowhere and stops in a bar for a moments respite.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	A Sudden Sense of Liberty

She had ducked into a bar in the middle of nowhere, desperate for a moment's peace. There had been a cazador chasing after her and while she was able to avoid getting stung, thank god, she had tripped down a steep cliff and gotten a large gash on her left arm from the rocks below. Someone from the small settlement the bar was located in had dispatched the bug so after tossing a few caps his way, she'd entered the bar, just needing a bit of shelter to get a hold of herself.

Her arm feels like it's on fire and it's seeping a disgusting shade of red through her sleeve. She bites the inside of her cheek and settles down at the far end of the bar. There's no booths or anything so the barstools are her only option if she wants to sit down, which she absolutely does. She makes no attempt to call over the bartender and he seems content to ignore her anyway. With some effort, she hefts her bag onto the counter. She knows she has bandages in there, remembers Ivy making sure she had seen when she put them in her bag. 'You're always chest deep in shit, try not to get killed without me.' She had said, she was right, even if Six didn't want to admit it.

She finds the bandages easy enough. She rolls up her sleeve and cringes, it looks worse than she thought it would. It hurts now, but when she had actually gotten the injury she barely felt it. Adrenaline had coursed through her as she tried to avoid the cazador's stinger. With her good arm, she starts trying to wrap the bandages around the gash. Her hands are shaking violently, still filled with nerves. She tries to go slowly and carefully, tries to emulate the way Ivy would help her but her mind is fuzzy. 

She must have done it wrong. The bandages are entirely too loose and when she moves her arm they immediately start to unravel. She frowns harder. Takes the bandages off and tries again, she goes a little faster this time. Maybe she's overthinking it. The bandages fall off. She feels herself shiver in pain and frustration. She tries again, somewhere in the middle in terms of speed. No dice.

She wishes Ivy were here. She should have waited until she could come with her to head out, she can't even remember why she's out here. Looking for something, but what? What is she looking for? Her mind stings. She doesn't know when the frustration bubbles over and her face gets damp with tears, she barely notices the warm, wet feeling on her cheeks. She keeps her mouth closed as she tries to breathe through it like Arcade had taught her but it doesn't help. She just breathes heavy as she tries to avoid making any noise, her eye is shut tight. She can feel the other patrons actively avoiding looking at her, she can feel the tears on her face, the wound on her arm, the jukebox is loud and the light is so bright and-

"Easy there, kid." 

She stops, opens her eye and looks for the source of the voice. She's met with the sight of a man, dark skinned and even darker haired, littered with scars and very, very tall. She gawks at him, her mind is too gone to even think of responding. The man looks from her face to her arm, his brows furrow.

"Christ, not looking so hot." He looks like he's considering something. Meanwhile Six simply watches him. She feels like a baby, crying over nothing, and she's embarrassed to be seen like this, to be acknowledged. Still, she can't deny that the man has provided a distraction for her. She nods slowly. The man looks over her bandages, and gives Six another once over. They just stare at each other for a moment. The man looks mildly bored, eye's half lidded and a lazy frown on his face. Six looks as bad as you'd expect. Covered in tears and her own blood and with an expression that has the vestiges of pure fear. Whatever the man was thinking about, he seems to find his answer.

"Here, let me." He sighs. He puts out his cigarette, Six hadn't noticed he'd been smoking until now. He moves slowly at first, reaching for Six's arm. Six is alight with nerves, but decides to give him the benefit of the doubt, cautiously though. She reminds herself that her gun is still in it's holster, her knife is on her belt, and in a pinch, she can use one of the bottles on the bar as an improvised weapon. She can control the situation, she can handle this.

The man doesn't seem interested in hurting her though. He unwraps the bandages on her arm and places them on the bar haphazardly, then reaches for the roll of bandages, the one's on her arm had already absorbed a lot of blood. He takes a second to unroll some and then reaches for her arm. She pulls back reflexively at the touch and hisses, but doesn't try to get away. After a moment she gingerly puts her arm back in his reach.

He's a little gentler this time. It still stings, but she had braced herself, so she grits her teeth and bears it. As he starts to wrap the bandages around the gash, she realizes his own arms are bandaged. She wonders what happens to him. She's gotten a hold on her breath now, she still looks like a mess, but she's not actively getting worse now. The mans touch is soft, being careful with her. He's done soon enough, her arm is wrapped snugly now, she wiggles her arm a bit, testing it, and it stays on her well. 

She pulls the sleeve back down and lays the arm on the bar, with the other one she wipes her face. Meanwhile the man lights another cigarette, from the corner of her eye it looks like the bartender wants to say something but decides otherwise. After a moment of silence she clears her throat.

"Thanks." Her voice is more pathetic than she thought, but she doesn't sound too bad. The man nods at her.

"Don't mention it."

They go back to sitting in silence for a bit. The jukebox had seemed so loud earlier but now she can barely hear it, actually, it's off right now, no songs had been requested, it seems. The conversations among the other patroned have lulled to a quiet murmur. 

"So... Who are you?" She eventually speaks up, curious. The man glances at her sidelong, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Avery." He says, a huff of smoke coming out as he does.

"Avery." she repeats to herself. "I'm Six."

The man, Avery, shoots her an incredulous look. "...Six?"

She hums. He takes another drag of his cigarette.

"I would've thought you were in your teens, actually." 

"What?"

"I mean thought you were older than that."

There's a beat of silence.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

She guesses that conversation is over now. 

Six places her other arm on the bar, puts it with her other and rests her head on them. She looks over Avery. He seems pretty cool. She's lazily eyeing his bandana and thinking about how she'd like one herself when he speaks up.

"Six. You mind if I ask somethin'?"

"Shoot."

"The fuck happened to you?"

"Got cut fallin' down a cliff, arm got caught on some rocks."

"And the eye?"

She frowns, looks away from him. She's exhausted from it all, from every moment of her life, from the choppy memory of that night. She feels the tears bubble around her eye and then she feels a large hand in her hair, petting her gently though a little awkwardly. It feels surprisingly nice. She closes her eye and just lets avery ruffle through her hair. He seems to tell the eye is touchy because he doesn't ask again.

Someone starts up the jukebox, she doesn't know the song, but Avery seems to because he hums along to it. She can't hear the lyrics, there's no other sound obstructing them from her, but her mind is too tired to focus on them, they drip out of her focus like honey. She feels herself start to fall asleep, but even though she knows the danger, she's not awake enough to consider it. As she slips out, the last thing her mind can focus on is the sound of Avery's quiet humming.

Hours later, when the bar starts to close, Avery is still there, keeping an eye on the young girl. When the bartender gets on his case about leaving he sighs and looks over. Six is still out like a light, she breathes quietly. After a moments deliberation, he sighs, and slowly, carefully scoops her up. Her face is slumped against his shoulder and her arms are over them. His arms go around her back and her legs. Once she's secured, he exists the bar and makes his way home.

In the morning, Six will leave and Avery will return to life as usual; but for now he watches out for her. There's something about her that reminds him of himself at that age, and it doesn't bode well. If he can keep her out of trouble for a night, maybe she won't turn out like him. Or at least, not that much like him.


End file.
